Does Social Media Work for Local & Small Businesses?

It’s no secret nowadays that having an online presence (especially social media) is becoming a vital part of any businesses strategy. If you’ve already got your social media setup, what do you do now? How do you reach your customers and most importantly, how do you then convert them into sales?

We’ve done our research at DigitalDinos, using both our client base and digital research, to collate 4 ways you can ensure that your business is using social media correctly. The points below will help answer our question of social media working for local and small businesses.

1) Don’t just sell – listen to your customers!

The chances are, if you don’t have someone managing your social media, you probably have very little time to actually do it, right? Use the very little time you have to engage and create meaningful conversations with your potential customers. Just like in person, you’d be friendly and willing to help – this shouldn’t change online. Not only does this help build trust around your brand, but it also gives you a further insight into understanding your customers wants and needs.

2) Don’t stop. Stay committed.

Yes, seriously. This seems an obvious one but it’s often overlooked by many small business owners. We find that if a business commits (whether this is internal or external) to a positive social media presence, then the results will talk for themselves. Our advice would be to plan this… Create a content planner and plan out exactly what you’re going to be posting and ask yourself why? Check out what your competition is doing and make sure you’re doing it better!

3) What’s your goal as a business? How can social media help achieve this?

There’s nothing worse than jumping into social media without realising why you’re doing it. You’re a small, local business and your goals mean as much to you as goals mean to a large corporate business. Whether it’s brand awareness, customer retention or customer acquisition – only you can answer this one. Once established, shape your strategy and content around working towards this goal (remember, use the points mentioned above too)!

4) I have my goal, I’m committed and I know how to post. What platform do I use?

You won’t be alone in thinking this. There are so many social media platforms available in todays market and, as a small business owner, you won’t be able to manage being active on them all. Focus your efforts on the one that gives you the biggest return. For more information, check out our article on picking a social media platform as a small business owner.

So, in answer to our question… Yes. Social media does work for local and small business marketing but it needs to be done correctly. Commit to it and ensure you’re providing real value to your customers. It’s your digital shop window and can say a lot about you as a business.

We wish you every bit of success with your business and would love to hear more about your digital journey. Please do feel free to contact us directly or send us a tweet!